fobsteb



(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. PORSTER. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

No. 569,008. Patented 0015. 6, 1896.

F a I n I I u I F I m: noams PETERS ou. Puo1c-L rMa..wAsamGm-. u. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. FORST'VER. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Patented Oct; 6,- 1896. Fzlgr4.

jnVenhr hmlbrsier (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

, IFORSTER. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.-

No. 569,008. Patented Oct. 6, 1896-.

mi Makms mans co. FuoTouTNa. wumum'on. u. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE- Joan Fonsrnn, on ST. HELENS, ENGLAND.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,008, dated October6, 1896.

Application filed October 3, 1895. Serial No. 564,549, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Fonsrnn, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at the Navigation Boiler Works, AtlasStreet, St. Helens, in the county of Lancaster, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway SignalingApparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the same.

My invention has reference to improvements in railway signaling; and itconsists in apparatus which may be either used as an automatic railwaysignaling system, that is to say, without signal -boxes,operating-levers and accessories of that nature, or it may be used as anauxiliary to the present manual system of signaling.

The chief characteristic of my invention, whether it is applied purelyas an automatic system, or whether itbe used as an auxiliary to thepresent system of manually-operated signals, is that the train itself onpassing a sectional signal (in the automatic system it may be any or allsignals) replaces that signal to the danger attitude, and that suchsignal cannot be again lowered to the safety attitude until the trainitself has proceeded into the next section, (or a given distance ahead,)when it performs another operation, (operating a treadle,) therebylowering to the safety attitude the signal in the rear, that is, the oneit had previously passed and placed to the danger attitude. It may thusbe briefly stated that the train on pass ing the given spots performstwo operations places the signal adjacent to it to danger and lowers thesignal in the rear to the safety attitude. As additional facilities forindicating the positions of the trains as having passed given spots, Iarrange, if desirable, gongs or bells in the signal-boxes in the rear orin the front, or in both front and rear, which may be rung or sounded bythe train as it passes over my apparatus, giving information to thesignalmen that the train has either left the section in the one case oris approaching it in the other.

I am aware that many means have been devised for performing similarresults, and I therefore lay no claim, broadly, to the resultsthemselves as effected. The majority of inventions previously devisedfor obtaining these results have been electrical or pneumatic, or bothcombined, but my invention is purely mechanical.

' The way in which Icarry out myinvention is as follows, reference beingmade to the accom panyin g drawings,in which similar letters and figuresrefer to similar parts or substi- 6o used in substitution of the springshown in Figs. 1 to 6 or it may be used in conjunction with them. Fig.Sis a diagram showing three sections when my apparatus is fixed as anautomatic system of signaling. The sections are numbered 1, 2, and 3. anordinary signal having a joint control, that is to say, where myapparatus is fixed as an auxiliary to the present interlocking systemswith signalcabins and interlocking levers. paratns may be fixed on thesign al-post,but before the signal can be deflected to the safetyattitude the operating-lever in the signalcabin, say No. 1, must beworked, and also the treadle of my apparatus fixed in section 0 ro'ectinin b about which a s rin cis 100 fixed.

cl isa connecting-rod connecting b of the Fig. 2 is a side view of thevertical form 6 5 Fig. 7 70 Fig. 9 illustrates Any form of controllingor slotting ap- This applicationof 5 treadle b to a crank e, fulcrumedat e. A tooth or projection d is formed in the connecting-rod d.

e is a stop to prevent the crank e from thrusting the bar beyond itsnormal position.

6 is a stop of rubber or similar material underneath the crank toprevent the bar from being depressed beyond its required position.

b" is a spring connected to the side of the box containing theapparatus, and which presses against the treadle-bar b to assist thereturn of the treadle-bar b to its normal position against and above therail.

f is a pin projecting into the lower side of the spring.

g is the locking and releasing blade, working through a bracket h. Thesaid blade 9 is connected at its end to the end Z of a similar doubleshackle, in my apparatus fixed adjacent to the signal in the section inadvance, and upon the depression of the treadle at the section inadvance the said blade g is moved to free the upward movement of thetreadlebar I) to its normal position, which action lowers the signalthrough the wire is and crank e to the safety attitude.

m is a connecting-rod which may be used for controlling the lever in thesignal-cabin, which operates the signal adjacent to the apparatus, andit may also ring a gong or bell or otherwise indicate in either theforward or should a train shunt back over the treadle the treadle-barmay be moved away from the rail by the flange the whole length of thebar without operating my apparatus in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The springpforces the blade 9 above the tooth d when the treadle-bar l) isdepressed.

Adverting to Fig. 8 for diagram and Figs. 1 to 3 for details, a train onpassing out of section 1 depresses the treadle Z), so that the tooth dis moved below the level of the blade g. 9 being free moves above thetooth and prevents the treadle-bar b returning to its normal or raisedposition. The wire It becomes slack, the crank e turning on its fulcrumtoward the treadle, so that the signal No. 1 as sumes the dangerattitude. The spring a is compressed or the weight 0, Fig. 7, is raised.

The train on proceeding to section 2 and passing over the apparatusfixed there depresses treadle b, the treadle again becomes locked by theblade g, the wire is payed out or becomes slack, signal No. 2 is put tothe danger attitude, and the wire 9 Fig. 1, is pulled to release throughthe same wire (g for distinction in the rear apparatus) the blade g freeof the tooth d and the treadle-bar of the apparatus adjacent to No. 1signal to assume its raised or normal position. On this treadlebarmoving to its normal position the wire 70, attached to the crank e, ispulled and the signal-arm No. 1 lowered to the safety attitude. Theaction of my apparatus is substantially the same when used as amechanical lock-and-block system in conjunction with theoperating-levers in a signal-cabin.

Although my invention is herein described and illustrated as havingreference to a double line of railway, yet same is equally applicablewhere trains run in opposite directions over the one pair of rails.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is-

1. The combination, with a railway-rail, and a depressible treadle; of apivoted bellcrank lever, a link provided with a projecting tooth andpivotally connected to one arm of the bell-crank lever and to thetreadle, means-such as a rodfor opera-tin g a signalgong, connected tothe other arm of the bellcrank lever; and locking mechanism providedwith means for retracting it and operating to engage with the said toothwhen the said treadle is depressed and thereby preventing it fromrising, substantially as set forth. Y

2. The combination, with a railway-rail, and a depressible treadle; of apivoted bellcrank lever operatively connected to the said treadle, atooth d supported by the said bellcrank lever, a rod 071 pivoted to thesaid bellcrank lever and operating a signalgong, wires 70 and gconnected to the bell-crank lever and extending in opposite directionsto operate signals, a slidable spring-pressed locking-blade for engagingwith the said tooth when depres-ed, thereby preventing the treadle fromrising, and a wire g for retracting the said locking-blade,substantially as set forth.

JOHN FORSTER. \Vitnesses:

SAMUEL FORSTER, THOMAS GERRARD.

